Equipment for exercising the more powerful muscle groups of the human body is often large, cumbersome and unattractive, usually causing it to be relegated to fitness centers, gymnasiums, and the like. Proposals have been made for constructing such apparatus so that it can be stored within a cabinet, to make it more suitable for home use, and in some instances the storage units have taken the form of various pieces of furniture.
More particularly, Noland et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,171 discloses exercise apparatus comprised of pedals and weights, which is associated with a furniture-like storage chest. The exterior side and end walls of the chest are covered with a material such as plastic or leather, and the lid may, in addition, be padded for comfort during exercise.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,649, Miller discloses an exercise unit in the form of a chair which has a space beneath its seat portion and a platform upon which the exercising devices (e.g., a bicycle pedal system) are mounted.
A chair-type bicycle exercise device is also shown in Sileo U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,963; in one embodiment, guide means is affixed to the undersurface of the seat of the chair for slidably accommodating and supporting the frame on which the pedals are mounted.
Howard U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,761 provides a rectangular cabinet for storing an associated articulated body-support platform, on which a foot pedal assembly may be mounted.
The portable unit disclosed in Reese U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,613 also comprises a box in which the exercise components are stored.
It is generally desirable for exercise equipment to have a variable resistance feature, to best accommodate individual capacities and to permit adjustment during progress through an exercise regimen. Selective variation is commonly achieved by the addition and removal of weight, by making tension adjustments, by changing pneumatic or hydraulic pressure, and by controlling voltages to increase and decrease magnetic field strength. Of late, certain forms of exercising apparatus have been furnished with digital display features, which not only enables monitoring of resistance and work output levels, for physiologic reasons, but also helps to maintain interest and to promote a sense of achievement.
Exemplary of the prior art of interest in regard to these concepts are Schaufler U.S. Pat. No. 938,399 and Harris U.S. Pat. No. 955,793, both of which provide exercising apparatus in which electrical current is conducted to the body of the user.
McFee U.S. Pat. No. 2,786,512, discloses an arrangement for dissipating user-generated energy through various devices, such as an alternator.
Dimick U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,195 provides an exercise bicycle in which the torque load on the pedals is adjusted, through a predetermined cycle of operation, using a servo motor to apply a frictional loading to a flywheel.
The bicycle exerciser of Sweeney, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,105 utilizes an alternator to provide a variable resistance, and it incorporates computer and display electronics features.
In Darzinskis U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,936, an exercise device is combined with video computer apparatus to make its use more interesting and pleasant.
It is a broad object of the present invention to provide a novel self-contained exercise and ottoman-like unit, the latter being convertible to provide a chair in which the user can sit while operating the exercising mechanism.
It is a more specific object of the invention to provide such a unit which is aesthetically appealing in its closed configuration, and is effective and comfortable for its exercising functions, is of relatively uncomplicated and inexpensive construction, and is readily convertible between its alternative configurations.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel collapsible exercising mechanism adapted for attachment to and containment within a storage unit, such as may be of ottoman-like form.
A further object is to provide such a novel exercising mechanism which is of relatively uncomplicated and inexpensive construction, is readily collapsed for storage purposes and erected for operation, and is convenient and effective to use.